Strange Fate
by Understanding.Me
Summary: UPDATED: Chapter 8 uploaded. Enjoy! The Master is free and Vida is in danger along with the rest of the world, but all Madison and Nick can do is fight... with eachother. Alot of it is from Madison POV.
1. Rays of Light

Disclaimer: I don't own PR. That's all.

Author's Note: This story is mostly Nick/Madison driven. I'd love to hear your comments and feedback so please review! Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 1  
RAYS OF LIGHT

_I'm waiting for answers  
I'm waiting to figure it out  
I trip on my chances  
I slip through my doubt..._

_------ _

The ground shook, dark smoke filling The Underworld like a white wash of black fire. After a moment had passed, several creatures began to spring up everywhere.

Koragg hid in the shadows as he watched the hole in the ground start to part. "The Master," he whispered in disbelief, "He is free."

The dark figures that stood around seemed to step away slowly as the black fire began to leap from the large hole in the ground. Koragg managed to see the creatures standing around the hole and recognized what they were. Again, hit with another wave of shock and disbelief. Dragons.

Koragg's attention quickly shifted to the large hole that began to close after having The Master climb out. He was in his human form, wearing his armor just as he had always done. His eyes opened slowly, pools of red stared out into the darkness of the Underworld.

He backed away and disappeared into the shadows, no doubt to feed and rejuvenate himself. Koragg turned away to go find Necroli and the others. All of a sudden, the eyes of the Dragons turned towards him at once.

A battle ensued, Koragg finally managed to escape the Underworld, but at a price. In his weakened state, he tried to desperately warn the only person he knew could stop The Master.

-------

The sun was shinning and Madison looked around at her friends enjoying a beautiful day at the beach. Xander and Chip were wrestling in the sand like they always did. Neither one letting up even though they both had a considerable amount of sand carefully lodged in their swim trunks and just about everywhere else. Vida was sun-bathing on her towel while listening to a mix tape she had put together. Interrupting her now would be a mistake. She made a point of warning everyone before she went into her "zone".

Madison got up and walked to the water's edge and kneeled down. She had a contemplating look in her eyes as she moved her fingers through the water. So much has happened to her since she entered those woods and sometimes she wondered if she made the right decision. The feeling of failure entered her thoughts, which hinted to why she was doubting herself. "I don't want to mess up," she whispered quietly

"Mess up what?" A voice came from beside her. Madison turned and saw Nick's face staring back at her, with questioning eyes. He sat down beside her and glanced over at the ocean when she didn't answer.

Madison sighed, "It's hard sometimes… Being responsible for everyone and I just don't want to do something to mess it all up…" She couldn't bare to look over at him when he didn't reply right away.

Nick looked down and thought for a second, I know exactly what she's talking about and at the moment he decided to share that insecurity with her.

"I have some of those days as well. One wrong move can result in so much loss, but I try not to think about it." He managed to say very calmly. "Things happen for a reason Maddi, and we just need to accept that and roll with whatever fate throws at us."

Madison looked over at Nick and smiled a little, "Some good advice, but it's easier said than done."

It was getting late, and the tide was coming in. A small wave of water poured over Madison's knees. She looked over at the horizon and noticed that it was almost sunset and she glanced over at Vida who had thrown herself into Xander and Chip's wrestling match; completely oblivious to how late it was getting.

"You're not alone Madison," came Nick's voice suddenly. She looked down and closed her eyes briefly before she turned to Nick and said, "Sometimes, I think I forget that."

The wind was picking up and she wrapped her arms around herself without thinking.

Nick grabbed his towel beside him and draped it over her shoulders, "I meant what I said," Nick leaned closer and repeated, "You'll never be alone."

The deep glowing shade of the sun shone acutely off the side of Madison's face, her profile accentuated in shadows and shades of sunlight. Nick couldn't help but stare for a moment before he turned away and looked at the sand beneath him, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

Madison lifted her warm, yet very wet, hand and put it on Nick's shoulder and whispered, "Thanks," willing him to turn and look at her again. But he just shook his head in acknowledgement and then got up and left.

Madison stood up as well and started to walk back to Vida and the rest, but she glanced back one last time as the sun started to descend over the horizon. The ocean, stood solid and cold as it swallowed the sun over its horizon. Madison felt connected to this scene playing out in front of her.

"I'm not alone."

Some part of her knew that.

------

Nick got home, showered, changed and jumped into bed as quick as he possibly could. He was physically drained from all the running around he did today, even though his main goal of going to the beach was to relax; the only time he managed to do that was when he sat with Madison near the shore. Nick sighed at the thought and closed his eyes. Madison's smile danced across his mind as he remembered how she looked with the light from the sunset bathing her face.

Nick started to dose off as the harsh call rang in his ear, "Red Ranger…"

Nick sat up holding his throbbing head as the words and images started coming at him. After a few moments, his eyes opened slowly as the words sunk in.

"We're in big trouble…" was all he managed to say before he bolted out of bed and out the door.

Rootcore was silent in slumber as Nick ran in, "Udonna! Udonna…" A few moments later, their Mentor appeared, a look of frustration and bemusement in her face as she asked Nick what was wrong.

"The Master, he's free." Nick muttered feeling very out of breath from running all the way to Rootcore. He tried to catch his breath and didn't miss Udonna's eyes flashing a deem white as the horror of what he said sunk in.

"Koragg…he contacted me again. The Master is back and has Dragons working for him. They plan on bringing back the Burning Times..." Nick continued explaining what he saw and heard from Koragg's vision.

------

Madison was shocked as she listened to Udonna talk to them about The Master being freed. "He needs to commence a sacrifice of sorts before he is able to acquire the power needed to bring on the Burning Times. This is all very alarming and we must do everything we can to stop this from happening."

Madison needed to sit down for a second, she was getting a little light headed. This was all becoming too much and the fear hit her hard. "People might actually die…" The realization dawned on her truly for the first time since she began this crazy journey in the woods.

"Yes, Madison, this is a life and death situation and we must do everything to protect our worlds from certain destruction." Udonna chimed in with strength and surety pouring from her voice.

"How are we gonna do that?" Vida asked while rubbing her eyes, still apparently very sleepy.

"I must consult the Elders on the Council of Magic before I can know for sure. In the meantime, all of you go home." Udonna said this quickly and then turned to leave Rootcore with a wave of her hand, she disappeared in a burst white light.

"I really hope this is all a bad dream," Xander muttered while he walked out of Rootcore with the others.

Nick just looked at the ground very pensively, angered by his helplessness. "I need to do something now…" He said under his breath.

"You heard Udonna, we can't do anything until she returns," Chip said as he put a comforting arm around Vida, who still looked very tired and confused.

------

It was late that evening when Nick finished work and headed home. His mind was troubled from the vision he got from Koragg. What made him more apprehensive was Koragg's apparent desperation that was clearly visible in his voice as he talked about stopping The Master at any cost.

It never occurred to him that maybe there was something out there he couldn't handle. So much was at stake and failing wasn't an option.

Nick mounted his bike and turned back to grab his helmet when he spotted that damned red blanket. An instant flashback to where he first saw it. Wrapped around a baby being carried through the woods

He shook his head briefly as if to throw the memory out of his mind. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't perish the thought and instead, it plagued him. For some reason he felt connected to it in a way he didn't understand.

From the window of the store, he saw Madison wave goodbye and he nodded in acknowledgement. In that brief moment, he almost forgot what he was thinking about. She disappeared from the window and Nick looked at the road ahead. Threw on his helmet and rode off home.

Silently promising himself that he would find a way to get the answers he needed.

Madison wrapped her coat around herself as she locked up the store. She turned and walked on to the pavement where she almost tripped. Steadying herself, she looked up at the sky and noticed the full moon glowing beautifully above her. She shoved her hands into her coat pockets and started walking home, quietly immersed in her own thoughts.

Behind her, she heard the familiar sound of a bike engine roaring up beside her. She smiled instantly and turned to see Nick. "What are you doing here? You left over an hour ago." Madison said in a quiet voice.

Nick put the brakes on his bike and removed his helmet, "I guess I wasn't ready to go home. Needed to clear my head and ride around for a bit."

Madison looked quizzically at him before she asked, "Something on your mind?" She stepped forward and put her hand on the front of his bike tapping her fingers idly.

Nick sighed and leaned back in his bike when he finally said, "Yeah, lots of stuff. But this isn't exactly the best place to play shrink with me." His lips quirked into a grin that made Madison smile somewhat.

"I love the night," Madison blurted out. Looking a little embarrassed she explained, "I mean, I love the peacefulness of it. I like walking home with nothing by my thoughts and the silence all around me." She looked away sheepishly wondering if he thought she was a little weird.

Nick sat up and chuckled, "I guess my noisy bike wasn't as welcoming as I had hoped."

Madison waved her hand and said, "Oh no, it's fine. I'm glad you're here." She smiled in her shy way and stuck her hands back in her pockets.

"I'm just…" Madison trailed of and pointed ahead, "Uh, I'm gonna get going," she managed to say and started to walk off a little as she waved goodbye.

A couple of seconds later she heard Nick's bike roll up beside her again and with him grinning away. "You mind some company?" Madison laughed and shook her head when she saw him take out his spare helmet. "Oh no, I can't. Motorcycles and Me just don't mix well. Ever since Vida talked me into riding on one with her, which then resulted in me ending up in the hospital with a broken nose, and severe bruising all over my body; I've sworn off motorcycles for life." Madison realized she was rambling and burst out laughing.

Nick nodded with a big smile, muttering that he totally understood where she was coming from. Vida was mad crazy with anything she gets her hands on.

Madison's eyes suddenly light up when she remembered something she wanted to tell him, "Hey, guess what? My powers are growing! Check this out."

She held out her right hand and mumbled something under her breath, water sprang out of her hand very lightly. Slowly the water started to heat up and turn into steam. She shot the steam up in the air in a huge blast. Madison looked up at Nick and saw he was really impressed.

"Wow, Maddy that was really cool." Nick leaned in to pat her shoulder, still smiling at what she just did.

Madison suddenly had an idea, and closed her eyes quickly.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Nick asked when he noticed a lot of water spilling out under them. The water turned into steam, the vapor gather together and was strong enough to lift her above the ground. "I'm going home," she said simply and started flying forward with the vapor surrounding her feet and keeping her elevated. Madison turned around to watch Nick and his shocked expression.

"I'll race you?" Nick suddenly said with a grin on his face.

"You're on!" Madison quickly turned around and threw her arms back and pushed forward at a speed she wasn't expecting. A small squeal escaped her lips as she flew through the night air.

"Cheater!" Nick yelled as he turned his bike on and roared down the street.

By the time Nick reached the Rocca family home, Madison was leaning against the mailbox yawning.

"You sure that bike is working right?" She teased.

"Yeah, laugh all you want. I didn't use magical powers and still need a head start like you did." Nick threw back as he hit the brakes on his bike.

Madison had a big grin on her face and said, "Anyway, you better get home. It's really late now."

Nick looked around and nodded.

"Hey, this was fun," he mumbled before his helmet went over his head and snapped into place.

Madison smiled, "Yeah it was. A shame it's so late, because I bet I could race you all the way back to Rootcore and beat you again." She joked.

Madison looked at Nick and they both stared at each other for a few seconds before they both had grins on their faces.

Next thing you know, Nick and Madison shot down the street towards Rootcore.

Once they got to the entrance of the woods, Nick jumped off his bike and went the rest of the way on foot. Madison slowed down and flew just over him laughing at how tired he looked.

"I can slow down even more if you want," she giggled and sped off when he didn't reply.

Rootcore was normally silent in slumber at this time of night, but for some reason it wasn't today. Madison entered the wooden chamber and was surprised to see the Xenotome open to a page detailing the "Signs of the Chosen Ones".

Nick ran in, completely out of breath, as Madison started reading the rest of what was written in the Xenotome. He looked over at Madison and noticed the worried expression on her face.

"What's wrong?"

He came up beside her and read over her shoulder. "Nick, The Master is looking for these people to sacrifice..." She said this with shock as she turned the page to see the faces of the 4 chosen ones.

One of them being Vida.

------

_I can see it your eyes you're hurting  
But pain is part of learning who you are  
All these truths can sometimes be deceiving  
When your whole world comes crashing to the ground_


	2. Undone

**Chapter 2  
UNDONE**

_I would fall asleep  
only in hopes of dreaming  
that everything would be like is was before  
but nights like this it seems are slowly fleeting  
they disappear as reality is crashing to the floor_

_------- _

Nick watched her completely crumble before his eyes.

Her breathing became heavy and tears sprang up, staining her face with every drop more painful than the last.

"This can't be right…" Madison kept repeating, shaking her head in disbelief. _Vida…_

Nick put an arm around her and pushed her away from the Xenotome, "It'll be okay Maddi. We'll stop all of this from happening and everything will be fine."

As Nick was trying to reassure her, Madison's head shot up, "No. He's going to win." Her voice sounded flat and completely lifeless. Her face looked numb and expressionless as her tears stopped flowing.

Nick didn't know what to do but this situation was going from bad to worse as Madison left his embrace and walked over to the door.

"Where are you going?"

"Doesn't matter." She didn't even look back; her voice sounded so empty.

Nick pulled out his morpher and snapped it open, a spell came to mind; perhaps the only thing he could do at this moment to make things better.

He uttered the spell and pointed his wand at Madison's back just before she was completely out of sight. She fell backwards and hit the floor. Nick ran over quickly and helped her sit up, "Are you okay?" He asked her as she started blinking profusely.

She looked drowsy and her eyes fluttered shut. His spell was supposed to alter her memory so she wouldn't remember what she read in the Xenotome. Nick was worried the spell might have not worked right. He leaned against the wall and held Madison in his arms, for the first time that night, he realized how tired he was.

He only meant to rest his eyes for a few minutes before he was gonna drag Madison up and get her home. She started to stir in his arms, and his eyes flew open at once.

"Maddi? Are you awake?" Nick noticed, from the corner of his eye, that the sun was starting to come up.

Madison looked around the room with confusion, "I'm at Rootcore? What am I doing here and on the floor…" Nick pulled her up as she tried to smooth back her messy hair that was all in her face now.

"What do you remember?" Nick asked, a little nervously.

"Um, I was racing you…here? I think and I…it's all a blur really..." She stood up carefully and walked past Nick as she massaged her temples. "My head hurts even trying to think about it."

"We need to get home." He was walking out the door with Madison dragging her feet along side him, still apparently very sleepy.

Nick sighed and hoped he did the right thing.

------

Later that day, Madison was sitting on a rock examining her video recorder. She closed the LCD screen and frowned..

My next video project will be about…

"I got nothing." Madison was worried.

She was in the park with her friends all scattered around playing football.

"Hey, Madison! Why don't you get out here and join us?" Xander yelled out in between tackles. Madison shook her head and said, "No thanks!"

"What are you afraid of Maddi?" Nick yelled back as he gracefully caught the ball and ran across the touch line. He looked up with a satisfied grin on his face as Madison got annoyed by his teasing, "Afraid of what? _You?_ Please." She laughed and hoped off the rock she was sitting on. "Fine. I'm in." She said as she threw off her sweater revealing a pale blue tank top.

She ran up to the rest, and put her hands on her hips, "So who's team am I on?" Xander pointed at Vide and Chip. "They need a helping hand," he explained. Vida threw the ball at his head but Xander moved out of the way before it hit him.

"Lets play," Madison ran over to Chip and Vida.

Xander has the ball and starts running, with Chip right behind about to tackle him when he quickly throws the ball at Nick. But Madison quickly intercepted the pass and disappeared down the field to the touch line. Nick was after her but couldn't get to her in time. "SCORE!" Vida yelled from behind as Madison crossed the line, and did a little victory dance. "Oh yeah!"

Nick stopped and watched Madison dance around him, "I'm good! I'm good!" She sang at him.

As she came around in front of him, Nick grinned at her and she stopped, "What…?"

Nick leaped and tackled her to the ground, "Hey! That isn't very nice." Madison screamed.

He just laughed as she shoved him away, "You really surprise me sometimes…" he said simply.

Madison looked up with a shy smile, "I'm gonna head off. I've got some work to do on my film project."

"What is this new one about?"

"I'm not exactly sure yet. In fact… I think I'm at a loss for ideas right now," Madison said looking a little discouraged. She walked over to the rock she was sitting on earlier and grabbed her camera and sweater.

"How do you normally get inspiration to make your films?"

"I watch movies. Lots of movies… "

"There's that new film playing at the cinema this afternoon, if you're not too busy we could go check it out." Nick said as he walked beside her.

"You sure you wanna come?" Madison asked, looking over at him with a half smile.

"Yeah, let me just head back to the Rock Porium for a bit and I'll meet you there around 3pm."

Madison smiled happily and nodded in agreement. "It's a --deal." She was inwardly appalled when she almost said "date".

------

Nick was working at the cash register when LeeLee walked in and looked over at him. He sighed and braced himself for another confrontation with this annoying pain in the...

"Nick! I heard you're going on a date with Madison," Nick arced an eyebrow and looked confused.

"It's not a date." Nick clarified.

"Whatever. I just thought you'd like to know that Madison changed her mind and doesn't know how to tell you," LeeLee had a careful look in her eyes as she fed Nick this lie.

Nick blinked a couple of times, seemingly surprised at what he was hearing.

"She doesn't want to go with you, to this film thing, because she thinks you're boring and just no fun." LeeLee finished saying, happy that Nick looked visibly annoyed.

"I'm the boring one?" Nick couldn't believe it.

"That's what she said. She really can't trust you to be honest."

Nick laughed, "_She can't trust me?_ Well, I'll save her the trouble and not even bother going."

LeeLee smiled even more, "Yes, Nick. I think she definitely deserves that."

Nick was fuming, but went back to work anyway. LeeLee turned on her heel and walked out of the store with a big satisfied grin on her face.

------

Madison stood outside the cinema, waiting for Nick to show up. The day just got hotter by the second and she was boiling in the heat.

She leaned against the wall, and held her camera close to her. Suddenly, an idea came to her, she smiled slightly at the thought that crossed her mind. She glanced at her watch and saw the film was a half hour into its airing.

"Where is he?" Madison said, feeling annoyed that he was so late.

"Ugh, forget it." She turned and started walking home, not in the mood to watch a film anymore.

Her morpher went off, "Madison, I need you at Rootcore as soon as possible." Udonna's voice sounded very urgent. Madison wanted to ask why, but the line was cut.

She sighed dreading the thought of seeing Nick after he blew her off like this.

A few minutes later, Madison arrived, slowly walking in hoping the bad news she knew she was gonna hear wasn't so terrible. Bracing herself, she gathered with the other rangers and listened as Udonna explained what the Council of Magic had decided on what to do concerning The Master.

"The Master was released using very powerful magic; a kind only Dragons possess. The Council have detected powerful dark energy in the Underworld prior to the release of The Master. I informed them of Nick's vision and the idea of bringing back The Burning Times is unimaginable," Udonna was about to go on, when Chip interrupted, "What exactly does that mean?"

"Endless Fire that covered the earth for a millennium during a time when Dragons ruled the world. The Master plans on destroying everything all at once. The only way to acquire enough power to unleash the Endless Fire would be to commence a sacrifice by the 3rd moon of the Winter Solstice."

"The chosen ones…" Madison whispered suddenly as if remembering it without even knowing what it meant. Udonna's head snapped up, "Child, how did you know about that?"

Nick couldn't believe it. His spell was wearing off already.

Madison just looked over at Nick and frowned, "I don't know…"

Nick ignored her stare and that, surprisingly, didn't take much effort.

"Yes, Madison. The 4 are the only people, that if in the hands of The Master, will be able to unleash the dark power to bring forth the Burning Times."

Udonna walked towards the Xenotome and closed the book.

"I have a mission for you all."

Nick walked up to Udonna and listened carefully as she split them into smaller teams and told them where to search for the Chosen Ones.

"Vida and Xander, you two head out now," Udonna instructed as she walked past them.

"Chip and I will--" Nick began to say before Udonna interrupted him, "I need Chip to stay here and help me with a new spell. You will go with Madison and return as soon as you find what you are looking for."

Nick sighed as he saw the pointlessness of even trying to argue with Udonna. He walked out of Rootcore, without looking back at Madison. "Lets go," was all he managed to say before he was out the door.

Madison frowned, _Why is he acting like this?_ She thought to herself as she walked out of Rootcore.

Udonna stood in front of the Xenotome and noticed a dulling light shining from it. She opened the Great book and studied the page it flipped to; The faces of the Chosen Ones stared back at her. Vida's face looked different, somewhat distorted. Udonna frowned as she saw the blurring increase. "What is happening?" She quietly whispered.

"What's that?" Chip asked.

Udonna slammed the book shut.

"It's nothing." Nothing at all.

------

The woods were quiet that evening, and Nick was stomping threw like an Elephant on heat.

"Hey, wait up," Madison urged as she ran to catch up, but he kept on going as if he didn't hear her.

Madison put a hand on his shoulder to stop him, "What is _wrong_ with you?" She asked furiously.

Nick turned around, with what looked like a permanent stamp of frustration on his face as he said, "I would tell you if I actually trusted you. Since I don't…" he snapped at her.

He was annoyed and just turned his back on her and kept walking.

Madison just stood there, absolutely stunned. "You don't trust me?" She yelled out at him, willing him to stop and explain.

"What have I done to make you think that?" She came up to him and her voice sounded more serious than ever.

"I was actually wondering the same thing about you earlier today. But what's the use in even asking. It's not like you're gonna tell me the truth. No, instead you'll just wait for someone else to come along for you talk about me behind my back…" Nick was rambling, and Madison was barely following what he way saying.

"I never said anything behind your back," Madison was beyond confused at this point.

"You see, you're lying. Just forget it Maddi. I don't have time for this." Nick started to turn away again, but Madison caught his shoulder and pushed him back.

"I've never lied to you Nick. _Never_. If you actually think I'd do something like that…" Madison trailed off, still stunned by this whole conversation.

Nick calmed down a bit and saw the confusion in her eyes. "But LeeLee said you--"

"LeeLee told you _what_?" Madison demanded.

Nick, looked down trying to remember everything that was said, "She mentioned you not wanting to go to that film with me because you thought I was boring…" Nick explained as he watched Madison's eyes grow bigger with this stunned look on her face.

"_And you believed her_!" Madison said before he could finish speaking.

Nick just stared at her, "I…" He was at a loss for words.

Madison nodded, and walked away not knowing what to say to him.

"Maddi wait…" Nick said, as he turned to look at her.

She didn't wait.

* * *

_Flowers are blowing in the wind_  
_ and I can see the sun_  
_ setting on the hill_  
_ it's almost gone and the_  
_ hills are greener than I've ever seen_  
_ and this feels too real to be_  
_ just another dream_


	3. Just Another Day

**Chapter 3  
JUST ANOTHER DAY**

_Maybe when the sun crashes through the gray  
I can find the strength to make it through the day_

_------ _

Back at work the next morning, after spending a few irritating hours looking for the Chosen Ones. _A lot of wasted effort_, Madison thought. She didn't want to feel this bitter but it just couldn't be helped. She was feeling low and it was beginning to affect her more than she thought it would. She tried rationalizing the whole situation as something that shouldn't matter; since there was so much else going on that was more important--like saving the world.

Madison almost dropped a small stack of records when she heard Nick greeting the others. 

"He's late, as usual." Madison whispered as she put down the records, without even glancing in his direction, and then disappeared into the back office to help Toby with some paperwork.

The office was messy and extremely humid, which forced Madison to keep the door to the office opened. As soon as she swung the door open, Nick was standing there shrugging his jacket off as he slowly turned to see her. Madison slammed the door in his face and decided that fresh air was overrated.

Of course that thought only lasted about 5 minutes, before she had to throw open the door again, "How does Toby work like this?"

Xander walked by and grabbed her arm gently and told her they had to go and gestured to his morpher.

They all left the store before Toby even noticed.

They arrived at where the latest Underworld reject was creating mass hysteria shooting at anything that moved.

The rangers morphed and got into the fight. Hidiacs sprang out from everywhere and that made Madison thrilled, "Finally, something I can hit."

She was getting all her frustration out as she fought her way threw a slew of Hidiacs. When there was only one Hidiac left standing, Nick was already about to attack it and finish the job.

Madison threw her right arm out in the direction of the Hidiac, and a blast of water came rushing out towards it. Before Nick could make his attack, the Hidiac was smashed into a near by tree several feet away. He turned around and saw Madison standing there with her hands on her hips looking mighty pleased. She turned on her heal without even acknowledging him.

The fight was over Madison noticed, prematurely at that. Not wanting to head back to work, she called her Blue Mystic Racer and jumped on it.

"Hey, where are you going? The Hidiacs are gone." Vida quickly asked.

"Don't worry about it," Madison threw back.

Madison whipped out the paper Udonna had given them with possible areas to search for the Chosen Ones.

"Better keep busy," Madison uttered as she leaned forward and disappeared in a flash of blue light.

------

"Nick, what is going on?" Xander asked when they got back to the Rock Porium.

Toby yelled for them to get back to work. The group disbanded and, at the very least, pretended to be working.

Nick tried to escape to the back where he wouldn't have to answer any questions, but Xander and Vida slipped into the room a few moments later and shut the door; affectively cornering him.

"C'mon, spit it out." Vida had her arms crossed, and an annoyed expression on her face. She knew something was going on. When Madison got home last night, she didn't eat dinner or even speak to anyone. She went straight to bed and was out of the house early this morning without a word.

Nick sighed and put down the boxes he was carrying and just before he was gonna recap what happened yesterday... There was a knock on the door.

"Hey guys, where's Madison?" Leelee came in with wistful smile.

Nick clenched his fits at the sight of her, "Xander, Vida… I need to talk to Leelee alone for a minute."

Xander's eyebrows shot up, "You want to be alone with _her?_" Vida was dragging him out as he asked Nick that question, completely stunned.

The door shut and Nick sat on the table in front of him and tried to calm down.

"So, what do you wanna talk about?" LeeLee asked, looking somewhat perky.

Nick slowly looked up at her and just stared. She is just loving this.

"You _lied _to me."

Her smile grew even bigger as Nick spoke.

"Even worse, I believed you."

"It was for the best Nick. You don't need her anyway…" Leelee walked forward and smiled sweetly at him. She put her purse on the table beside him and threw her hair back.

Nick slid off the table and walked to the other side of the room, "Has anyone ever told you you're spiteful little b--" Leelee suddenly burst out laughing.

"I'm wasting my time talking to you." Nick grabbed his jacket and walked past Leelee.

"You're _leaving_? But we're not done talking." Leelee started to pout and followed him out of the room.

"I'm done. I'm going to find Madison."

Leelee slammed her fist on the table, "But she _hates_ you!"

"And I can thank you for that." Nick snapped as he left the store.

Xander, Vida and Chip turned to Leelee with angry glares. Leelee smiled nervously and walked away very awkwardly.

-----

Nick entered Rootcore and stood in front of the crystal ball asking it to show him where Madison was. A clear image appeared, with Madison on her Mystic Racer flying above what looked like a hospital. She kept circling before she leaned forward and brought the racer down a bit to look closer.

Nick morphed, grabbed his broom and blasted out of there to join Madison. Still trying to think of a way to talk to her without making things worse. --Of course, he was finding that very difficult.

When he finally spotted her, she was still circling the hospital while writing something down on a paper.

"Maddi?" Nick said as he slowly approached her.

Madison kept on writing on her paper, apparently giving him the silent treatment.

Nick brought his racer up along side hers' and leaned forward, "Fine, don't speak to me. I just need you to listen…" He pleaded with her. She looked up at him and said in a low voice, "I'm busy."

Madison was about to accelerate her racer and fly off when Nick caught her hand.

"You're mad and you have every right to be. But we _need_ to talk."

Madison looked away from him when she caught a glimpse of a boy running out of the Hospital's main entrance. A strange figure was standing near by, watching the boy.

Nick turned around to see what she was looking at, "That boy, I think he's one of them… I remember his face from somewhere…" Madison's voice was growing louder.

Nick's spell was really wearing off and if she finds out he used magic on her-- He sighed and turned too look at her, but she was already gone.

Madison jumped off her racer and was running towards the boy. The stranger noticed Madison coming and he too started walking in the direction of the boy. Nick flew in with his racer and watched Madison push the stranger away and grab the boy. Nick jumped off his racer and stood in between Madison and this weird looking dude eyeing the little boy.

"Get the kid out of here," Nick told her as she was backing away. He turned to the stranger, ready to attack if necessary, but the man was gone.

Madison was mounting the boy on her Mystic Racer as Nick came up from behind, "Is he okay?"

"He's fine." Madison hopped on her Racer without another word and left for Rootcore.

-----

It was late that evening, an end to a very eventful day. One that Chip couldn't stop talking about in the dramatic way he always did.

"V and I kicked _major_ Dragon ass!" He jumped off his chair and pranced around with Vida. She was apparently too tired to join in and let Chip haul her around Rootcore like a rag doll.

Xander was at the Rock Porium staying late to close up shop. Something he found little joy in doing, apparently it cut into his busy dating schedule.

Madison didn't care what Nick was doing over there and just stuck her nose back into the book she was reading.

Even though she wasn't paying any attention, Nick was leaning against the table looking over at Madison every few minutes. Still trying to figure out what he was going to say.

Two of the Chosen Ones Udonna had them track down were found and safely hidden.

Madison looked up when she saw V and Chip heading for the door, "Hey, Maddi are you coming? It's getting really late." Vida asked as she stretched her arms over her head in a very lazy way.

"Yeah, I'll be home soon. I just need to finish this first." Madison waved goodbye and watched Vida and Chip leave.

Madison was hoping Nick would follow and even thought about suggesting it.

Several minutes of awkward silence hung over the room as Madison continued reading her book, oblivious to Nick's irritation of her.

"Maddi…" Nick's eyebrows arced up in an earnest way, wishing she would just listen to him and not be so angry and stubborn.

He walked forward and kneeled down in front of her, "We need to talk."

"You keep saying that, but I don't really see the point." Madison said as she flipped through the pages of her book idly.

"Will you at least _look_ at me?" Nick was clearly frustrated at this point.

"All day today you've been acting like _I don't even exist_. I never knew you could be so cold." Oops. Nick bit his tongue too late and Madison's head shot up.

For the first time that day, Nick stared into those brown eyes, for just a second or two, he caught a hint of sadness in them. Nick mentally kicked himself.

"Is this your way of trying to apologize?" She simply asked.

"Look, I made a mistake, why are you being so hypersensitive?" Nick's small grip on his control was broken and he let it all out.

"It was a _misunderstanding_. It happens! You're not perfect yourself Madison." With that he stood up and waited for her to respond.

She put her book down and stood up as well, looking him dead in the eyes, her voice slightly unsteady, as she whispered, "I was _so_ wrong."

Madison looked away, barely blinking.

With a low uncertain voice, as if not really wanting to know, Nick finally asked, "Wrong about what?"

"You." She barely whispered that as she walked out the door.

------

_All in all it's just_  
_ another day now_  
_ You're falling down_  
_ What you gonna do_  
_ Standing on top of the world tonight_  
_ No ones looking back at you_


	4. The Sky is Falling

**Chapter 4  
THE SKY IS FALLING  
-  
**_silence is golden  
but I think it's gonna kill me_

_-_

The Master stood motionless, he had removed his armor and was wrapped in a blood red cloak that dragged a little the ground whenever he moved around. His face hidden behind a hood and the only visible feature of his face that could be seen were his eyes. A faint gleam of gold light up in his eyes when he finally moved from where he stood.

"Power…" The word was said slowly, every letter pronounced severely in a voice that sounded ancient and not of this world.

The Master was picking up resonating forces of power being used near by in The Woods.

"Udonna, I so look forward to seeing you…" His eyes now glowing a golden color as he slipped back into the shadows.

------

Most of the rangers were downtown picking up supplies for Toby's party at the Rock Porium.

A posh, sophisticated party being thrown at the Store at Toby's request. After getting a call from one of his old buddies from school, he invited a bunch of people over and decided to throw a party for the occasion. Perhaps with some insistence from Chip who was already plotting and planning what it was going to be like. For some unexplained reason, Toby wanted something completely opposite to what he'd normally want at a party. The rangers later assumed he was playing the sophisticated card with this party to impressive his old school buddies who were coming out later that day.

Food and drinks were on Xander and Vida's to-do list and judging by how productive they've been so far that day--Nothing was gonna get done. Chip turned the corner and saw Vida drinking her third milkshake while she sat on the hood of her car basking in the sun.

Xander was chatting with some chick at the traffic lights, flashing his toothy smile every 5 seconds being his overly charming self.

"Hey! Where's the food and drinks? It's almost 2pm and we need to get back and set up." Chip had a bunch of boxes in his arms as he stumbled over to Vida's car and dumped them in there. She slid off the hood and ran in to the shop without a word, but Xander didn't seem to hear Chip and continued flirting with the girl at the traffic lights.

Vida came out with an arm full of bottles and placed them gently into her car.

"Xander get your ass over here!" She screamed as she walked back into the shop to get more supplies.

Xander sighed and waved goodbye to the girl he spent a good half hour talking to.

Chip smiled and relaxed in the car feeling really excited for the party they were having later that evening.

"Now, what am I gonna be wearing…?" He wondered out loud.

He flipped open his morpher and called Madison, "Just checking in. Are the gift bags in order?"

"Yup, got everything we need. I'll see you in about an hour back at the store." Madison's voice was surprisingly energetic today. A nice change from the way she's been the few days, which was pretty much doom and gloom.

Vida and Xander put the last of the supplies into the car and they all drove off back to the Rock Porium to set everything up for the party.

"Guys, I think I need to go shopping. All my capes are either in the laundry or misplaced. I've got nothing to wear tonight." Chip said in a matter-of-fact way.

Vida and Xander exchanged frustrated looks as Chip started giving them directions to his favorite costume shop.

-------

Later that afternoon all the rangers gathered at the Rock Porium to help bring everything together. Toby was out getting his hair cut and suit cleaned.

The store was completely rearrange to make room for all the people. Vida was putting her music together for the party. She had a whole 5 or 6 hours worth of music to play and was just buzzing with excitement.

Xander and Chip slipped out to change for the party. Vida and Madison brought all their stuff from home and were gonna change later on.

Nick was working on the food and drinks and setting everything up in that corner of the store.

Some time later, Madison finished putting up the lighting with her magic and the whole place lit up beautifully. She turned it off and decided it was time to change and get ready for the party. She called out to Vida, but all she got as a response was, "Later! I'm in the 'zone' sis!" Madison smiled and shook her head, wondering why she even bothered. Her sister was lost in the music dancing in her cute little way.

Madison didn't have time to shop for a new outfit so she asked Vida to pick something up for her when she went earlier that day. Madison still wasn't sure she wanted to wear what Vida bought her. She should have known better than to send her wild sister out to shop for her.

A few minutes later Madison walked out of the bathroom in the back of the store and stood in front of the mirror as she did her hair. She swept it up in a French twist and stuck a few pins in it. A small strip of hair fell loose across the right side of her face. She applied some eyeliner and light pink lipgloss. She looked out the window quickly and noticed the sun was going down. It was getting late and Vida wasn't even close to being ready. Madison threw her stuff into her makeup bag and left the bathroom to go get Vida.

She was busy closing her makeup bag when she heard a sudden noise, she looked up and saw Nick standing behind a plate of finger food that he just dropped.

Madison stood there watching him watch her, it was very awkward.

"Is something wrong?" She asked without thinking.

"Um, no, everything's fine. I mean, you just…you look…uh…nervemind…." Nick finally said as he bent over to pick up the plate and clean up the mess. Madison looked at her reflection in the window, she was wearing a slinky strapless dark blue dress that fell just above her knee and matched with the high heels Vida made her promise she would wear.

Madison put her bag down and went over to help him clean the mess. Nick protested and told her he would do it and that he didn't want her getting any of the mess on her dress.

Madison obliged and left him to it. She was feeling very bizarre as she walked away, like she wanted to say something to him but didn't know what. She hadn't spoken to him really for several days now.

A few minutes later, Nick appeared in the front of the store, Madison glanced over and saw him walk out.

She wondered where he was going at this time, but then scolded herself for even caring.

Madison didn't realize she was staring at the door wear Nick had just walked out of until Vida's voice came in her ear, "Maybe you should go talk to him and fix whatever this thing you two are fighting about. I'm sick of seeing you guys miserable around each other." With that she disappeared down the hall to change.

Madison thought about that for a moment, and looked out the window and saw him kneeling by his bike. She suddenly remembered the first time she saw him there like this. She sighed and was about to walk to the door when Xander and Chip burst in; both striking model-like poses. They were each wearing suits, tie and all.

"You guys look so handsome," Madison said as she pinched Xander's cheek playfully.

"Well, you don't look too shabby yourself," he said as he gave her a one over with a grin.

"Where's Vida?" Chip asked as he walked down the hall.

"Right here." Vida walked out and stood with her hands on her hips and huge smile on her face. Her hair was smoothed back with gel, perhaps a little too much of it actually. She was wearing a tight pink blouse with a leather skirt that matched her boots, which laced up from the back.

Everyone just stared.

"Vida, you look…" Xander started blinking, unable to finish his sentence.

Chip wasn't having any better luck, his jaw was still on the floor.

Madison walked up to Vida, "You look great!" She hugged her sister.

Xander and Chip, still rather speechless, nodded in agreement.

------

The party was in full swing, and after at least an hour of non-stop dancing, Madison needed a break and escaped outside for some fresh air. She stood outside the entrance to the Rock Porium, with a drink in one hand.

Across the street she spotted Nick, who hadn't come inside to the party yet. He was removing his helmet and shrugging off his jacket. He looked striking, his suit was casual yet still very stylish. Madison watched as he got off his bike and fixed his tie, but not getting it quite right.

"Hey, need some help with that?" She asked as she walked over to him.

He stopped what he doing, "Um...I guess so." He said and let her fix his tie.

Standing this close, she could smell a hint of aftershave mixed in with some cologne. Avoiding his eyes, she focused on fixing the tie as she asked, "So where have you been? The party started awhile ago."

She stepped back when she was done with the tie and smiled, apparently pleased with her handy work.

Nick muttered a 'thank you' and turned around to pick up a bag with a bouquet of flowers. "Toby asked me to pick these up. I think he's got a lady friend he's trying to impress." He said with a grin.

Madison nodded, "Have you seen him yet? He looks like a whole new man."

"I will in a second. I'll be right back." He said as he walked into the party quickly.

After a short while, Nick came back out, hoping to see Madison standing where he left her. But she was gone.

He quickly, glanced around up the street and there she was, standing under a street light kicking her heel into the ground repeatedly, looking rather bored. Nick smiled and walked up to where she was standing; silently hoping she was still in a good mood.

"You look lost," Nick said as his smile grew when she looked up at him.

She sighed wistfully, and shrugged her shoulders when she said, "I _feel _lost."

Nick's smile slowly faded, "I was just… um…" He hesitated to ask what was wrong, wondering if she would even tell him after everything that's been said between them.

There was something not right with the way she looked at him, her eyes were so empty. He remembered when he last saw her this way back at Rootcore that night.

A cool breeze hit them and Madison looked away as she wrapped her arms around herself in a very casual way. "About what happened before with the whole Leelee thing…" A moment later, she continued, "I don't even care anymore."

"You know… I'm sorry," Nick said quietly when she stopped speaking. He just wanted things to be like they were before this whole misunderstanding happened. This bad energy between them was really stressing him out.

"I trust you Madison, probably more than anyone else I know," He was rewarded with a smile after he said that. "I should have never listened to Leelee, I don't know why I did." He looked around confused.

Just before Madison was going to say something, Nick's morpher went off. They both looked at each other as Nick rolled his eyes.

"Great timing." He muttered under his breath.

------

The city plaza was deserted at this time of night, with parking lots empty as the Dragons strolled in and waited. It was only a short while until a rumbling noise in the distance alerted the Dragons of the rangers' arrival. They all stood in orderly lines as one of them, they called him Mystero because he had such strong roots in ancient mystic magic, the likes of which used to unleash the Master.

The ranger arrived and stood in front of the Dragons, all still wearing their party close as Hidiacs came flying out of the air attacking.

"Couldn't you just wait until the morning?" A frustrated Xander asked as he shrugged off his jacket and placed it neatly on the ground before he kicked a Hidiac into the near by tree.

"Vida, we're gonna have a _serious_ talk later…" Madison said as she pointed to her high heels and dreaded fighting in them. Vida was in wild mode, attacking anything that came within two inches of her.

The rangers regrouped and decided it was time to Ranger Up.

The lead Dragon, Mystero stepped up and raised his hand in protest. "Wait. We have not come here to fight." His voice hissed slowly.

"Then what do you want?" Nick asked forcefully.

"We want what is ours…" His eyes moved to the girls, Nick wasn't sure who he was staring at but he assumed it had to be Vida.

"What is _yours_?" Madison repeated looking uncomfortable as she stared into those soulless eyes.

"You either fight now _or get the hell out of here_!" Nick screamed back, not willing to waste anymore time talking and then having Vida find out the truth. At least not like this.

Mystero stepped back, taking a moment to think. He didn't want to engage in an battle since The Master specifically cautioned against it.

"Another time perhaps," He said gracefully as the lot of Dragon turned into mist and disappeared.

"Okay now what heck was all that about?" Vida asked looking very grumpy at her hair being all messed up from the fighting. "We have to go back to the party looking like this?" Xander chipped in as they all started heading back to the Rock Porium.

"Dragons! Real Dragons in the flesh!" Chip couldn't believe it, the excitement on his face was priceless.

Madison hung back as she stared at the ground where the Dragons had just stood only moments ago, thinking about something she ought to know but just couldn't remember. Nick turned around and saw her face, as if she was searching for something she couldn't find. Nick knew exactly what she was thinking, but he couldn't say anything. Not until they can find some way to protect Vida from getting captured. Right now the two Chosen Ones they'd found recently were being hidden in secret safe houses. But it's only a matter of time until they are found by The Master, and fighting them off there will be another battle they need to get ready for.

"I'm pretty tired guys, I think I'm gonna head home," Madison said as she sighed and grabbed the pins out of her hair. She was all partied-out, shaking her head and let her long hair fall around her face.

Xander ran a quick hand through Vida's hair to piss her off more and it worked, she was running after him threatening to punch his face in. Chip was right behind happily running behind them, still in a daze after having encountered the Dragons.

"I'll walk you home," Nick offered as he swung around and walked up to her.  
Madison pursed her lips and let out a sigh, not sure if she wanted him to be here.

"Sure," she eventually said. Nick frowned at her, thinking there was something bothering her. Did she _remember_? Nick asked himself, worried by the thought.

They walked, mostly in silence, Madison not rushing to get home.

"That Dragon…" She began, as she glanced up at Nick.

"What did he mean?" her voice dropped to a whisper, as if it not wanting anyone else to hear.

Nick looked away from Madison, not able to meet her eyes. He knew exactly what that Dragon meant, but he couldn't tell her.

Nick just shrugged and muttered, "I dunno."

"That night we were at Rootcore, remember? We woke up toge--" Madison hesitated.

"Yeah, I remember." Nick said, growing more concerned by the second.

"I can't…" Madison put her hands to her head, massaging her temples with a look of pain in her face.

"I don't remember falling asleep there…"

Her hair was a mess across her face, almost like she was hiding behind it. Nick observed her from the corner of his eye. He had to tell her.

"You're not gonna like this," Nick swallowed hard. He needed to tell her himself because she's gonna remember sooner or later.

Madison stopped walking and tilted her head to the right, looking up at Nick.

"Nick?" She urged him to speak.

After a few uncomfortable moments went by and then Nick let it all out, "You stumbled upon something in the Xenotome that you-- actually none of us were supposed to know yet."

He threw his hands behind his head, as if to brace himself before he said, "You broke down and I couldn't stand seeing you like that…"

Madison put a hand on his shoulder, trying to calm him down.

"Nick, what did you do?" Her eyes pleading for the truth.

Nick turned to face her, "I used magic on you so you wouldn't remember."

Madison's hand fell from his shoulder, as she stepped back, her face not believing what she heard him say.

"No, you wouldn't…" She was trying to convince herself that she heard wrong, but she knew she didn't.

Not able to look at Nick, she asked, "So how long were you gonna keep this from me?"

Nick ran his hand through his hair, frustrated by the question.

She pushed his shoulder this time, "Until I _remembered_? Is that it?" She demanded.

Nick didn't say anything. His silence being enough of an answer for Madison.

As she walked away, leaving Nick standing alone in the parking lot entrance, she stopped suddenly.

"What did I see in the Xenotome?" Madison asked, her voice just loud enough for Nick to hear.

He walked towards her, slowly trying to give himself time to formulate a way to tell her.

When he reached her, he saw streaks of tears down her cheek, she knew whatever he was about to say would devastate her.

"It's Vida. The Dragons want Vida."

Madison's eyes grew wide in disbelief.

This time Nick didn't get to witness her break down, her hair still a mess as it covered most of her face.

Nick watched with pity in his eyes, as much as it hurt him to tell her, he had no choice. She ran away from him, away from the world if she could.

Madison stopped running when she heard Nick's screams. She turned and saw him doubled over with his hands holding his head.

She dashed back towards him, her tears flowing without control.

"Nick!" She yelled as she reached him.

Madison held him close, but he kept squirming, lashing out at her. She fell back and watched him get up and stumbled away still grasping his head in pain.

He suddenly stopped moving, standing motionless facing Madison.

She slowly stood up watching his eyes start to glow.

"_Innocent blood will spill_," Nick's voice sounded dark and serpent-like.

Nick fell to the ground, just before he painfully whispered, "_Your blood…_"

Madison ran up to him and lifted his head into her lap. "What did you say?" She asked as she stroked his head, as the pain subsided. Nick had a very dazed look in his eyes, he suddenly felt very weak and light headed.

"Nick?" She tried to lift his head just before he fell unconscious.

Madison sat there, under a tree, her tears still flowing.

"_Please, be okay…_" She whispered as she cried, sweat droplets falling from Nick's face.

He stirred and his eyes fluttered opened, "What happened?" He finally managed to say as he sat up, with Madison's help. He was leaning against a tree now, tilting his head as he squeezed his eyes shut.

"We need to get you to Rootcore," Madison said as she tried to get him to stand.

Madison called for her Mystic Racer and quickly pulled him onto it. She climbed on and flew the racer to the Woods.

"It's okay, I'm fine…" Nick kept repeating as he sat up properly and shook his head.

"You collapsed after being possessed by some thing." Madison had one hand on the her Racer and the other was pulled behind her with a firm grip on Nick's arm, in case he got dizzy again and slid off her Racer.

"I swear, I thought you would be long gone after everything I said," Nick voice returning to his usual teasing tone. When Madison didn't reply, he added, "I'm fine, _really_. " He put a hand her shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly.

"You need to get home. I'll go to Udonna in the morning and get this whole thing sorted out."

Madison leaned back and slowed down the Racer, "Are you sure?" She turned her head slightly, finding Nick's face hovering beside her left cheek. His eyes were all she could see, and after a few moments he moved his hand from her shoulder and wrapped it around her waist.

"I'm sure. Lets get you home." Nick quietly said into her ear, she turned to face the front and switched gears on her Racer and went in the other direction.

As they arrived a few blocks from her house, she slowed down the racer again and looked away suddenly.

Nick tugged at her gently and asked her if she was okay.

Nick heard her sigh and then watched her turn towards him again. Her hair brushing his face, leaving a sweet smell lingering in the air.

"Thank you…" She began, twisting around to see him more clearly.

"What you did, the memory spell… you were only trying to spare me the…" A tear drop fell from her eyes as she tried to finish speaking. The image of Vida appeared in her mind and Udonna's solemn warning of what The Master could do flashed before her eyes. She felt sick.

Nick leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in as if trying to protect her from something neither of them were really ready for.

"Somehow, we'll get through this Madison. _All_ of us." She closed her eyes as he wiped her tears very gently.

"I promise."

She believed him.

-

_I watch as the daylight crawls  
I'm alive but tell me am I free  
I got eyes but tell me can I see  
the sky is falling and no one knows  
it shouldn't be hard to believe  
shouldn't be this difficult to breathe  
the sky is falling and no one knows_


	5. Standalone

**Auther's Note: **I'm writing a focus chapter for each ranger, but both Madison or Nick will play some role in each chapter. First up, Xander!

Thanks for all the comments and reviews!

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 5  
STANDALONE**  
-  
_Everything feels like a fairytale…  
-_

Xander walked home from school, planning to shower and change and be back at work in about an hour. He took the long way home after declining a ride from Vida when she offered. He watched her drive off with Chip and Madison.

When he finally got home, he walked in and saw his mom in the living room surrounded by empty wine bottles. One leg hung over the edge of the sofa just barely scraping the mess on the floor beneath.

Xander paused, quietly looking on at a sight he'd seen a million times before. There was nothing he could do but walk away.

Up in his room, Xander threw his bag in a corner and sat on his bed, combing his fingers through his hair with frustration. There was a lot going through his mind and no one there he could talk to. "Who would want to listen anyway?" He muttered under his breath, mostly angry at himself for even feeling this way. This is _Xander_ after all. The guy that can always find the positive in any situation.

**_ He sighs and looks in the mirror_  
_ He can't tell anymore_  
_ Who he really is and who they believe him to be_  
_ And he sighs and walks in a thin line_  
_ Between what is and what could be_**

Every day was a struggle, but he had to put on a brave face because that's what everyone expects from him.

Everything was changing, Udonna especially. Her usual immaculate appearance was diminishing, looking more worn out every time he clapped eyes on her. Udonna's face just said it all: Something terrible was happening, something she couldn't say, Xander guessed.

Then there was that encounter with the Dragons the other night, Xander remembered how they looked. Dark robs that covered most of their bodies, only their faces exposed, dark scaly skin and black pools for eyes stared back at them. Xander wondered how they were going to defeat an army of those creatures? They were powerful enough to bring back The Master.

Xander's eyes were darting all around, not able to focus on one spot as his mind continued racing. They have a hard enough time fighting Koragg and the rest…This was just too much for them. He wanted to say this at Rootcore last night when Udonna filled them in on the latest news from the Council of Magic.

_A small circle of witches, including the Crone, a very old blind witch were there, chanting magical words as they monitored the power readings emanating from the Underworld on a huge crystal ball. One after the other, the witches in the circle fell unconscious, apparently being overwhelmed by The Master's power force. At this point, only the Crone was left keeping the spell going but after a few moments, she too collapsed. _

_Udonna stood back watching as the Crone's eyes fluttered open and she began to whisper, "There is no hope…" _

_Udonna's head slowly fell, dread filling her heart._

_She turned away eventually, feeling the need to be there was no longer useful. But she stopped before she could move away as she heard the Crone continue to speak, "…except with The Chosen Ones." _

_Udonna breathed a sigh of relief, cementing her promise to find them and protect them until they were needed. _

Xander remembered feeling very helpless when she told them what had happened. Everyone else had a look of defiance on there face, especially Nick. They always had that look before a battle, but this wasn't like any ordinary fight and Xander wanted to yell that out. But something stopped him from saying anything. Instead, he just stood in the back and watched everyone else ask Udonna more questions.

Xander shook his head as he got up, grabbed his clothes and went into the bathroom to shower.

By the time he was done, there was a knock on the door. Xander ran downstairs, after throwing on a green t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans, knowing his mom wouldn't bother to get up and answer the door.

He opened it and saw Madison walking away, "Maddi?"

She turned, surprise lighting up her eyes, "You're home? I thought you'd probably already left for work..."

"Ah, sorry to make you wait... I just got out of the shower you see." He grinned.

Sticking her hands into the pockets of her hoody, she moved to the door and expected Xander to let her in. But he just stood there, blocking the entrance.

"Um, actually I was just leaving." Xander's words came out very nervously as he bent down to finish doing up his shoe laces.

He stood up straight with his usual smile, masking all the stress he was under just moments earlier up in his room. Pretending everything was fine is something he had a lot of practice at. He glanced one last time at the door of his house as he walked with Madison down the street.

**_ I'm standing here on the ground_**  
**_ The sky above won't fall down_**  
**_ See no evil, in all directions_**  
**_ Resolution of happiness_**  
**_  
_**

------

"Xander, are you sure you're okay?" Madison asked after a few silent moments of walking.

His smiles weren't fooling her, he grimaced.

"What makes you think I'm not okay?" he tried to laugh it off, but it didn't appear like Madison was buying it as she gave him a knowing look.

"You know you can talk to me, right? Chip, Vida and Nick… we're all here for each other." Madison explained.

Xander just looked at the ground, narrowing his eyes at a small rock he was kicking as he walked down the street. The sky was getting dark and it looked like it was gonna rain.

"I know there's a lot going on with school, work and now this saving the world stuff…" She paused before she continued again, "Things don't look too good at the moment and there's so much we don't know… like we're just walking into a fight with our eyes closed…" Madison trailed off, not realizing what she was saying made Xander even more frustrated.

"What if this is the end?" He blurted out. She glanced over at him, her solemn expression frozen on her face as she struggled to answer him.

"It could be…" She finally said, turning her attention to the rock he was kicking.

Xander stopped walking and just stared at her, confused once again, "What did you say?"

"You heard me," She saw the way that affected him.

"It doesn't _change _anything." Madison tried to reassure him, but he wasn't listening, at least that's the impression she was getting.

Xander's face was contorted into a frown she'd never really seen on him before now. "That's just it Maddi. Whatever we do, it won't _change anything_. This is The Master we're dealing with!" He was almost yelling.

_** I still feel the same**_  
_** though everything has changed**_

"If we don't fight, _who_ will?" Her voice a contrast to his own, Madison calmly put a hand on his shoulder to offer some comfort. She had no idea he was this disturbed by what was going on.

"There's no one but us Xander." She finished saying, hoping he would do something other than look furiously at the ground.

"We can only do this if we all stick together. _Trust_ me on this." He looked at her then, finally connecting to what she was saying, at least some part of her hoped that was what she saw in his eyes.

He nodded and half smiled when she still had that serious look on her face. "You're right… forget I said anything." He tried to laugh, and fool her into thinking he was okay so he wouldn't have to continue this conversation.

She sighed, taking the hint and started walking away. The Rock Porium was just around the corner now. When Madison reached the entrance, she turned to see Xander just standing a few feet away with an unsure expression on his face. Xander stopped and told her he'd come in a minute. She left him standing there looking back at where he just come from.

The road twisted and turned, before it disappeared around the corner. He'd have to walk down this path in a few hours once his shift was over. The road will lead him back to an empty home.

"_I'm okay,_" he whispered, forcing himself to believe the words, like it would somehow make things all better.

Before Xander turned and went into the store, a sobering thought escaped on to his lips as he muttered, "If it is the End, maybe it's for the best…"

_** I'll get what I want if I make up my mind**_  
_**I wanna rule the world wanna swallow it whole**_  
_** I think I'll just kick it all down**_  
_** I wanna kick it all down**_

When he did turn towards the Rock Porium, there was Madison, still standing there only a few feet away.

Madison had a haunting look in her eyes, and to his surprise, she didn't say a word.

Storm clouds were gathering all afternoon, a few moments later, it started to rain gently. Neither one looking like they were affected by it and they just continued standing there, both not saying anything at all.

The rain drenched Madison's hair and the rest of her clothes. She pushed a mess of hair away from her face, took a few steps forwards and looked Xander in the eye.

"The Master turning this world into his own personal playground is something you wanna see happen?"

Xander remained silent.

"I _really_ hope not. Whatever it is that is bugging you, _talk_ to someone about it..." Madison was on a roll, no longer sounding calm and reasonable, and instead her voice sounded forceful and strong.

Nick walked out of the store and saw Xander and Madison talking, both not looking too happy either.

"What's going on?" Nick came up behind Madison and looked back and forth between his two friends.

"Nothing." Xander snapped and walked past Madison without looking back. "I'm late for my shift," that was all he said before he disappeared through the door of the Rock Porium.

"Madison?" Nick was confused by Xander's reaction, something was going on and he wanted to know what it was.

"He's just, a little, um…" She didn't want to say too much. This was Xander's issues and she was trying to respect his privacy.

"You know, we're all feeling the stress with everything that's going on." She tried to explain, while avoiding Nick's stare.

Nick shrugged off his shirt and draped it around her shoulders, it was pouring and it didn't look like she even noticed.

He led her in the store, insisting she'd catch a cold if she didn't go inside and warm up.

"Everything's going to be fine," Nick rubbed her shoulders as they walked past Xander who was at the cash register dealing with a customer.

He caught Madison's eye for a moment when she glanced over.

"I hope so…" was all she said before she disappeared into the back of the store.

Xander looked down at the counter as he repeated his mental mantra, _'I'm okay. Everything is fine. I'm okay…' _

A few minutes later, Madison appeared from the back room, her white tank top still a bit drenched and her hair a total mess.

Xander saw her from the corner of his eye, afraid to meet her eyes. _Afraid? _He didn't know why. The things she said, some of it had to be true. When he looked up from the counter, he saw a blue streak, she walked by quickly with a stack of records in her arms.

Xander wanted to say something, more importantly, he wanted her to say something. But she kept walking, didn't even look his way.

All he could do was remember.

_-.-__  
'Cause I am hanging on  
to every word you say_

_- _


	6. The Things We Need

**Chapter 6  
THE THINGS WE NEED  
---  
**_ Looking for something I've never seen  
Alone and I'm in between  
The place that I'm from and  
The place that I'm in  
---_

Things haven't been right for a long time. Vida sat behind her usual spot for DJing in the Rock Porium as she stared at the ground with a blank expression.

She didn't know why she felt like something was wrong every time she saw her sister glance over at her with eyes that grieved. For the longest time Vida wrote that off as Maddie just being paranoid and worried about The Master. _We'll deal with him. We always win._ Vida thought confidentially.

In the last couple of days, Nick and Xander have been acting strange as well.

Vida hated this, she hated seeing her friends hurt for reasons she wasn't even sure of.

It was almost time to close up, it was a busy Saturday night, but finally the last customer was out the door. Vida looked up at her friends and slammed down her last record on the table.

"This is _enough_!" She yelped as she ripped off her headphones.

The others looked over at Vida with surprise. Nick put his broom down and walked over to Vida.

"Enough of what?"

Vida was standing by the cash register now with both hands on the counters. Her head was down as she let out a big sigh.

"I tired to let it go and hope you guys would just snap out of it. This mopping around is driving me crazy." She looked up now, her eyes dazzling with her usual high energy.

"You guys are acting like we've already lost." Vida felt like she was gonna pull her hair out at this point. Everything she'd wanted to say for weeks now was just rambling out of her mouth. "Why can't you guys have a little more faith in yourselves? I don't get it. Is there something I'm missing?"

Xander dropped his head for a second, lost for words it seemed. Nick and Madison just glanced at each other very quickly with dejected eyes. Vida turned to Chip and a hint of a smile tugged at her lips.

Same ol' Chip. She suddenly felt the need to hug him. "If you started to act all funny I swear I think I'm gonna _lose_ it." Vida whispered near his ear as she hugged him very tightly.

Chip broke out laughing and hugged her back, "You wanna see the make-shift fort I built in the kitchen? Let's see The Master get through THAT." He grabbed her hand and pulled her to the kitchen at once. Vida quickly glanced back at the others and her smile faded.

She rolled her eyes, tired of the bad energy coming from those three and just focused on Chip. She needed his optimism because she didn't want to fall into the same hole the others seem to be stuck in, no matter what happened. _Hopefully when Udonna gets back, we'll finally finish The Master off and get things back to normal._

Normal; Vida tried to remember how that felt...

She failed miserably.

------

Chip was sitting in his back yard looking at the stars that pricked the black sky above. He always used to sit out here looking for constellations, something he always did with his dad. A cool breeze hit him and Chip wrapped his new yellow cape around himself to stay warm. Any minute now his mom would call him in for dinner.

He suddenly pulled out his morpher and stared at it. Every night he did that, disbelieving his luck of actually living his dreams every single day. Even though it brought his mortality into question every time he pulled this out and used it. Every time he did, he felt alive. Strong. Everything he thought he could never be.

Suddenly a memory came to him, something Vida had said earlier that evening.

_"You guys are acting like we've already lost…"_

Chip noticed that but didn't know how to bring it up. Trust Vida to say and do something he wasn't sure he knew how to. She was wrong though, he was scared out of his mind. The night when he saw the Dragons, the exhilaration and novelty of the moment soon wore off and finally it hit him --The true danger they were in and the deadly promise he saw in the eyes of those Dragons.

His hand held his morpher more tightly, his mouth pursed together in a straight line. The thought of fighting this battle and losing was being forced out of his mind.

"_What ever it takes…_"He told himself, trying his hardest to keep his resolve and stay brave. It was all he could to not fall to pieces and run away.

"We win this."

It was a promise he would do anything to keep.

He shut his eyes for a moment and thought about what that 'anything' meant.

Whatever it takes…

_ We're only taking turns  
Holding this world up  
It's how it's always been_

------

The room was dark, as per usual, only the dim glow coming from the light in the hallway shone into his room. Xander was laying on his back, staring at the ceiling. His fingers tapping a quiet rhythm on his chest as he concentrated on nothing in particular.

He was waiting.

Every night was the same. His morpher sat on the small table beside his bed, waiting to go off.

Every time he tried to close his eyes, his saw his own future, which mostly involved watching his friends slowly fall and lay motionless around him. His hand shook helpless as he whirled around trying to think of something to do to make things better. "GET UP!" he heard himself yelling to his friends, but they remained still on the ground as more attacks were being thrown around him. Smoke from all the blasts were coming at him in every direction, he could barely see his hand in front of his face, and then suddenly he fell forwards with a force he couldn't even imagine. He was hit and he couldn't even feel it...

Xander opened his eyes quickly and sat up trying to catch his breath.

He looked out his window when he thought he saw something move outside. He shook his head, he was getting delirious, and quickly his mind shut down again as he laid back.

He was waiting.

For the end.

-------

Nick sat outside his house, beside his bike, pretending he was fixing it so his sister would leave him alone. She's been getting overly protective for some reason, an attitude change that seemed to come around the same time The Master was freed. Maybe he was doing a poor job hiding his frustration and she noticed something was wrong.

Whatever it was, he needed time alone to think.

We need to find the other Chosen One and protect that person until we can find a way to destroy The Master. Waiting for Udonna to return with any news was all he was biding his hope on now because there was nothing he could think of that would remedy the trouble they were in.

Answers were few and far in between and that was something that needed to change. Nick didn't want to let The Master just send out his minions of Dragons out in the world doing his bidding. _How were they suppose to fight Dragons?_ He wondered. _They're powerful enough to free The Master…_ he continued to think, hopelessly.

He leaned his head back and sighed, realizing his mind was just drawing a blank at every question he tried to find answers for. _How were they gonna save Vida?_ Blank.

This was killing Madison and he hated seeing her so distraught every time she looked at her sister. It was even harder not telling Vida the truth.

Nick's head straightened as he looked to his right, down the street he saw a figure walking towards him. He thought about moving his bike so it wouldn't obscure the path of the stranger coming, but he couldn't be bothered to get up. For the first time in weeks he finally realized how tired he was. Never sleeping that well and always over stressing out at the slightest thing was taking its toll. He rubbed his eyes and looked at the time, it was almost 10pm and he thought it was time to start heading in.

"I couldn't sleep…" a quiet, familiar voice came from his right as he looked up at the stranger and saw Madison force a weak smile

"So you seek _me_ out?" He asked, a little amused as he pushed his tool box to the side to give her some space to sit.

Madison wrapped her arms around across her chest as she sat down on the edge of the curb. It was a quiet night, no dogs barking or car engines roaring. Silent darkness wrapped then in a cool little bubble for a moment. That was all they really had, a few peaceful moments, that just blended in with the constant dangers and problems, and were lost in the mix.

It was a constant struggle to think back and retrieve those times when Nick didn't feel so isolated, burdened with the responsibility to makes things all right and lately, consistently failing at it.

"When it comes to sleeping, I think you're as bad as me." Nick could hear the faint smile as she spoke.

"Is it those nightmares again?" He asked with a thoughtful stare, trying to find the answer in her silence. It was obvious. Her eyes were tinted red, she must have been crying earlier, Nick noted.

Madison rubbed her cheeks quickly, warming them up from the cold breeze that was suddenly starting to pick up. Her face was flushed, and it looked like she was about to break out into more tears but was doing her best to keep it together.

"You wanna come inside and warm up?" Nick didn't know what else to say, just anything to get her mind off of whatever she was thinking that made her sad, which seemed like an impossible task.

Nick helped Madison up, placing a firm grip around her shoulders and walked with her to the door.

"You know…" Madison's voice broke, she really was on the verge of tears. Nick wanted to comfort her but he didn't know what to say or do. He wasn't used to being around someone like this, it was all new to him.

"What?" He prompted when she looked down and tried to clear her voice.

"You should try and talk to Xander tomorrow. He's really a mess right now." She said this quickly, in a low shakey voice. Nick had to strain his ears to hear it all properly and then he had an odd feeling that wasn't what she was originally going to say, before her voice broke.

"I noticed." Nick simply said, remembering how quiet Xander had become lately.

"How's Vida?" He asked, without thinking. Madison stiffened and rubbed her eyes quickly.

"Uh, she's okay. A little annoyed with me, but okay all the same." There was nothing else to say because Nick didn't want to push it and upset her even more.

He opened the door and lead her in, wondering silently when all of this was going to be over.

Suddenly his mind whipped up an image of someone he'd forgot about, but could possibly help in some way.

Koragg…

---  
_It's coming down to  
nothing more than apathy  
I'd rather run the other way  
than stay and see  
The smoke and who's still standing  
when it clears  
---_


	7. Help Me

**Chapter 7  
HELP ME**  
---  
_The answer hiding in plain view  
My eyes are closed  
It slips away  
again  
---_

Other than the light from the full moon, that hung in the black starless sky, Rootcore was impressed in darkness. A cool breeze, passed through the windows of the hallowed out tree, and blew at a loose strand of Madison's hair. Her head was leaning against her arm as she was sound asleep surrounded by loads of dusty old books.

Claire stumbled out of her bed and down the stairs and saw Madison slumped over sleeping.

She rubbed her eyes and approached the sleeping girl, debating on whether she should wake her and tell her to go home.

In obvious Claire style, she tripped over a broom stick and fell to the ground in a loud thump.

Madison's head shot up and her eyes were wide open, "What's going…on?" Her voice sounded faint and tired.

Claire got up really quickly and smiled happily. "Everything is cool. Yep." She finished straightening out her nightgown and walked towards the table Madison was sitting at.

"You know, it's late. Like, _really_ late. What are you doing here anyway? " Claire glanced over at all the books and squinted to try and read their titles, but it was too dark.

"Ah, just some…research…on something…very boring." Madison tried to think straight, but her mind was still hazy from falling asleep. She quickly gathered the books and carried them to the shelf on the other side of the room.

When she was done putting all the books away, with only one of her hands, she waved a weak 'Good Night' to Claire and dashed out of Rootcore.

Madison decided to walk home… through the woods… alone… at night. Big mistake. Obviously, her tired and sleepy state was impairing some of her judgment.

All she could think about, was the vivid dream she had before Claire woke her up.

She was reading Udonna's old books that had any references to the Old Times, Dragons and The Master. Hoping all the while that she could find something that would help stop The Master from fulfilling his plans….That being the last thing she was thinking about; falling asleep at that point wasn't a good idea.

Images of Dragons in their natural forms flashed through her mind. All the blood and destruction described in the books didn't fail to make an appearance in her dream--or rather more accurately-- her _nightmare_.

Her tiredness slowly started to fade as her mind came back to rest on one thought: _The Master is after Vida._

Her eyes closed shut for a moment and she repressed her need to start crying again. She'd done enough of that already.

"What can I do?" Her voice sounded helpless…

Madison stopped walking after hearing a noise behind her. She slowly turned and looked for the source of the sound.

A few moments later, a few Hidiacs jumped from the shadows of the trees and surrounded her.

She grabbed her morpher and 'Rangered Up'.

While she was fighting , she noticed a cloaked figure standing off to the side just watching. After she threw a Hidiac into a near by tree with her Water attack, she moved quickly to stand in front of the strange figure.

"Who are you?" As she asked this, the Hidiacs were ceasing their attacks and just hovering around the two of them.

The cloaked stranger removed his hood slowly and stared at the Blue Ranger directly. It was a young man, with long sliver hair that reached just below his shoulders. It was combed back away from his pale white face. His eyes, growing more intense as they both just stared at one another.

"What the hell… " Madison repeated her earlier question, with more urgency.

"I thought you would prefer my more Human state. We met earlier if you can remember." His words flowed calmly as he stood motionless in the same spot she first saw him at.

"Mystero…" Madison uttered the name with some uncertainty. Mostly because she couldn't believe she was standing here talking to a Dragon that looked like a human--a very handsome human.

She was rewarded with a faint nod in acknowledgement.

"Why are you here talking to me instead of, oh I dunno, fighting me?" As Madison said this she slowly moved into an attack stance.

Mystero let out a string of laugher that he more than exaggerated.

"I wouldn't waste my time fighting you. That would constitute cruel and inhumane behavior…" He said this with a slight smile on his face.

"You're _Evil_. Cruel and inhumane behavior is what you do best," Madison said this in a dull voice.

His slight smile faded suddenly.

"I need you to do something for me--" He began to say this when it was Madison's turn to burst out laughing.

"Excuse me, but do you see 'Stupid' written on my forehead? No. So cut the crap and get to what you're really here for because I have to be at work in a few hours _and I need to sleep_." When she was finally done speaking she had her arms crossed and no longer looked uneasy about standing in the middle of the woods talking to a Dragon.

"By the way, _'Mystero'…_what kind of _name_ is that?" Madison's hand movements became somewhat more dramatic as she ridiculed the Dragon that stood before her. She was irritated from the lack of sleep and it was starting to show.

"No one has ever spoken to me like that." The Dragon simply said, a slight hint of humor in his voice.

"Maybe you should get used to it then?" Madison suggested, while she considered calling her Mystic Racer and getting out of here. If she got home now she would have at least 4 hours of sleep before she had to be at work to open up shop.

The Dragon's attention was diverted for a moment as he looked away suddenly.

When he turned back at the Blue Ranger, his lips arched in a slight smile once again as he said, "It appears my presence is required elsewhere. We shall finish this another time."

"Mystero…" Madison repeated under her breath, still apparently amused by how silly it sounded.

"My real name, if you must know, is Aron. This encounter has been most… perplexing. Do you not value your own life?" He asked this as he looked genuinely curious.

"Right now, my life is just…" Madison paused, unable to find the words, her mind going blank suddenly.

"…pitiful? A complete waste?" Aron finished with amusement, stepping forward to emphasis each word he said.

The Blue Ranger just stared back, choosing to say nothing and just wanting this whole thing to be over.

"I must be going." As he said this, he pulled the hood on his robe over his head.

"You _will_ help me Blue Ranger. You will have no choice in the matter." That was the last thing he said before he disappeared into the shadows.

Madison sighed and just stared at the spot where the Dragon, Aron, had just stood only moments ago.

She rolled her eyes, not believing a word of what the Dragon said.

After deciding she was too tired to walk the rest of the way home, she called her Mystic racer and left the woods.

Finally.

----

It was raining the next morning, gray clouds covering the sky blocking the sun entirely.

Madison managed to get out of bed, after only 3 hours of sleep. When she got home during the night, Vida was up waiting for her. Rolled up on the sofa in the living room near the front door, Vida's eyes fluttered when Madison came in. Her eyes immediately narrowed as she pushed herself off the sofa.

"Maddie, where have you _been_?" Vida came over really quick and crossed her arms over her chest, obviously very irritated.

At that moment she was glad her parents were out of the country on business. She couldn't handle a 3rd-degree from her mom or dad. With Vida, she just smiled as much as she could, considering how tired she felt, and hugged her angry sister.

"I missed you too, sis." her sarcastic tone calmed the mood and when she pulled away from Vida, she noticed a smile on her face.

"I'll tell you everything in the morning. I promise." As Madison said this she made her way through the living room to the stairs leading to her room. That's when she saw all the cushions that were supposed to be on sofas were scattered in a huge pile. She walked over to it and saw three bodies sprawled chaotically across the floor. Madison nudged the leg closest to her, the body stirred and mumbled incoherently.

"Vida?" Madison looked over to her sister hoping for an explanation.

Vida dropped her hands to her sides and held back a giggle. "Maddie, it was Movie Night, tonight. You didn't show up even though it was getting so late and the guys thought they'd wait around to make sure you got home."

"Whose bright idea was that?" Madison asked, staring at the lump of bodies in front of her.

Mischief suddenly crept into Vida's tired face. She tipped toed to the kitchen quickly and came back with two shinny metallic cooking pots and a two large serving spoons.

Madison's eyebrows shot up when she saw what Vida was planning to do.

Both girls stood just above the mound of bodies holding the pots and spoons right over the boys' heads.

In almost complete darkness, besides the light from the full moon shinning in dimly through the open curtains, Madison and Vida slammed hard and made the loudest noise they possibly could.

In a split second, all the boys jumped away in a jolt, releasing frantic girly screams of panic.

Vida ran to the nearest wall and switched on the lights. Madison was leaning against a chair laughing and pointing at the tears that started to appear in Chip's eyes.

"Whaa…what HAPPENED!" Chip yelled as held his nose tightly. In the sudden shock of waking to the loud noise, Nick accidentally elbowed Chip in the nose while he scrambled to get up.

Madison and Vida both stopped laughing and looked concerned. "Maybe that wasn't a very smart thing to do…" Madison mumbled as she quickly walked up to Chip and helped him sit down. Vida came back from the kitchen with a damp cloth and handed it to Chip.

The girls looked over at the other two hoping neither one had gotten hurt.

Both Nick and Xander fell into the nearest chair and were sound asleep, as if nothing had happened.

After Chip's nose stopped bleeding, feeling guilty, Vida grabbed her coat and offered the boys a ride home. Jumping at the chance, they all got up and headed for the door. Madison offered her apologies to Chip for the millionth time and he simply shrugged it off, laughing like it was nothing.

Nick still oblivious to what he'd done, walked out the door with his eyes half closed and a stumbling Xander was right behind him.

Once everyone had left, Madison dragged herself upstairs, changed into her pajamas and fell into bed instantly falling asleep.

Now she hung her head low as she walked to work in the early morning, wishing she was still tucked in her warm bed.

On her way to work, she reflected on what happened in the woods and debated whether she would tell the others.

She didn't want to burden them with something that didn't really matter, at least that's what she thought.

Standing outside the door to the Rock Porium, a tall boy was there with his back turned to her. She hurried up to open the door, not wanting to lose a customer.

When she got to the door, he turned around and Madison stood frozen in her spot. The face the looked back at her was no stranger.

His hair was just like she remembered it, long, silver and pushed away from his face. With the light of the day, his facial features looked more striking---beautiful actually. The subtlety in the dark blue of his eyes was captivating.

Madison snapped out of it. He's a _dragon_.

"I'm not gonna even ask what you're doing here." Madison said pointedly as a frown captured her face.

"You know why." He said simply.

"I don't care." Madison turned sharply away and jammed the key into the door, but it wouldn't budge.

"A moment of your time is all I require." For now.

"That's more time than I'm willing to offer. Now go away." She kept trying to get the key to turn in the lock, but it wouldn't work.

"Ugh, are you doing something to the door?" Madison asked, looking very annoyed at this point.

Aron, the dragon in human form, didn't respond. He just stood there watching her, waiting patiently, it seemed.

"Do you know how _crazy_ this is?" Madison lowered her voice quickly, and continued saying, "You're a dragon…and you want to _talk_ to me?" She couldn't believe it.

Aron's face twitched slightly as his lips arched into a smile. "If I wanted to harm you in any way, you would be nothing but a distant memory by now.--An irritating one at that. I want to _talk_. It's important." He stressed the last bit as his normally low rhythmic voice faded.

Madison sighed and the key in the door lock suddenly turned with a click.

She walked into the store, without even looking back, as she shrugged off her jacket and put it aside.

Aron came through the door and quietly shut it behind him.

"What is this about?" Madison turned to look at him, with nothing but contempt in her eyes. _If the others find him here…_

"What do you know about my people?" His eyes growing lighter, almost shimmering blue.

"Your _people_? Dragons? Not much."

He looked away for a moment, his eyes softened, like he was reflecting on what he was about to say.

"We used to rule this world," when he said this he paused and looked back at Madison.

"The Master came along and changed…everything." Aron moved closer.

He looked down and his voice was barely a whisper, "We have no choice but to serve him."

Madison tilted her head back, confused by what he was saying.

Now, standing only a few feet away, he looked up at her, "The Master _needs to be stopped." _

"But why are you coming to me with this?" She was stunned.

"I guess, you're the most… receptive, in your little team." Aron explained this with a smirk.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Madison went from feeling confused to annoyed in a split second.

That only made Aron's smirk grow even more as he pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to her. Madison didn't immediately take it, with caution, she just looked at it. The object he held in his hands looked like a silver medallion of some sort. It hung on a thin chain, which he had entwined between his pale fingers.

"What is it?" she said this as she took the chain in her hands.

"Take it to the sorceress Udonna. She will know what to do with it."

Madison looked at it carefully, it sparkled in the light and had strange symbols in the center of it.

"Our people, despite our appearance…" he grinned before he continued, "We don't mean your kind any harm. Dragons have slept in the deepest parts of this earth for centuries, but The Master has woken us so he can use our powers. Once I learned what his plans were, unleashing the Burning Times… more Dragons will awake, the kind I only thought lived in Old Legends, they will rip this world apart… " The whole time he spoke, he didn't make any eye contact.

Madison was unsure of what she was hearing, she leaned her head against the ledge next to her as she sighed. "This is a lot to take in… why should I even believe you?"

He looked at her this time, his eyes growing darker by the second. "I give you my word, I know it's asking a lot for you to listen to me like this, but what I'm saying is the truth."

"You never told me why you needed my help?" Madison wrapped her fingers around the medallion tightly and slipped it into the pocket of her shirt.

"The Chosen Ones…I need to find them." He said this simply.

"Remember our little encounter in the woods?" Madison's voice was sharp as her eyes narrowed.

"I remember."

"That's assuming what you're saying is true, why did you bring all those Hidiacs to attack me if you really needed my help?"

He paused, as he glanced away, hiding a small grin.

"For my amusement. You fight well."

The phone rang.

Madison ran into Toby's office and answered it.

When she was done on the phone, she came to find the door to the Rock Porium left opened…

Aron was gone.

For a moment Madison thought maybe this was all a horrible nightmare and she'd wake up at home, in her warm bed, and forget about it.

But then she felt the heavy object in her pocket and sighed loudly.

A Dragon that was _good_? Is that even possible? She asked herself this question, but she was left without an answer. She decided she needed to tell Udonna everything, especially getting this medallion to her.

Whatever it is was, it felt like it had a lot of magic and power.

----

"You've been pretty quiet today…" Nick said as we sat in the car waiting for Vida and the others to finish up inside the Rock Porium.

Madison had her head down, leaning her chin against her knees., quietly twisting a piece of hair around her fingers.

"I'm just thinking." She replied, not moving from her position.

Nick put a hand on her back and tugged at the hood of her top, "Thinking about what?"

Madison sat up and shifted in her seat, "I don't even know where to begin…" Rubbing her eyes, she tried to continue, "Remember that night we first saw the Dragons? The one that talked to us, Mystero?"

Nick nodded at both of the questions.

"I saw him on my way home from Rootcore earlier this morning and again when I came in to open the store."

Nick stiffened in his seat, his jaw line was strained, "He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"No." Madison quickly said, not wanting him to worry about her.

After she finished explaining everything that happened with the Dragon she met, Madison handed Nick the medallion and let him look at it. Once the chain touched his hand, it shimmered a bright red sparkle. Nick dropped the chain suddenly and he quickly went to retrieve it.

"Did you see that?" He asked, staring disbelievingly at the object in his hands.

"There is something very strange going on. I don't know if I should trust him. I mean, if he's really on our side…maybe we can actually stop The Master?" Madison ran her hands through her hair as she sat back in her seat feeling completely frustrated at this point.

"We need to wait until Udonna gets back, but right now, stop worrying so much." Nick leaned closer and tried to detangle her fingers from her hair. His face was serious now as Madison stared on ominously, "If this Dragon guy comes back again, you need to call me. Immediately."

"Promise me you'll do that." He didn't even bother making it a question.

"I promise." She said and looked away quickly, a sick feeling in her stomach overwhelming her.

Something bad was gonna happen and she could do nothing to stop it.

Unless…

_---  
I see it  
Without the light  
And in your silent voice  
I find my way home  
Somehow  
--- _


	8. Time to Break

**TIME TO BREAK**

---  
_Calm things down  
I need a break  
From everything  
Around me_  
---

Nick looked at the address Vida scribbled on his hand and checked if he was at the right place. He was riding his bike through Briarwood looking for a friend's house.

Finally finding the right door, after several minutes of searching, Nick knocked and waited for a response. Nothing. He knocked again, this time a little harder. When he was about to turn and leave, the door opened a crack, Nick wasn't sure if he should walk in. Peering in slightly, Nick saw a scantly clad woman leaning against the wall with her hand barely on the doorknob. It look like she didn't have the energy to open the door completely. Her eyes were partly shut and everything else about her appearance was unnerving. Nick thought he probably knocked on the wrong door until he saw Xander standing on the staircase with his hands stuffed into his pockets.

"You should have warned me you were coming…" Xander's voice was dejected, as a heavy sigh could be heard in his words. He came down the stairs and dragged his mother very gently back to the living room where she fell into the sofa and passed out again.

Xander walked back to the door and let Nick in, without once looking at his face.

"You know, maybe this isn't a good time?" Nick questioned as he climbed the stairs to Xander's room.

Xander remained silent. He opened the door and offer Nick a seat at his study desk.

Nick noted that Xander's room was a lot emptier than he'd imagined. Just a bed, a study area and that was pretty much it.

"Is something wrong?" Xander asked, after a long moment of silence.

Nick snapped back to attention and answered, "Uh, I was just wondering how you were doing?"

Xander sat himself down on the edge of his bed, leaning his elbows on his thighs and rubbing his temples slowly while eyes were shut. "I'm super." He chuckled darkly.

"A couple of years ago, I was in a similar situation," Nick began when he stopped. Xander lifted his head slightly and arched an eyebrow skeptically.

"Oh really? You've got a Mother who brings home a different man almost every night after getting drunk at another bar. Then spends the rest of the day drinking herself into the ground and passes out every few hours. You live in a dump practically alone every day and night with nothing but your bloody thoughts slowly messing you up--" Xander stopped. His voice suddenly giving out and he ducked his face back under his hands and shook his head slowly.

Nick sat back, stunned, raking his brain for something to say.

"Yeah, something like that." He finally said and Xander chuckled again, as darkly and humorlessly as before.

"Xander, I've lived with some crazy people in the past, and I know how hard it can be to cope in your situation. Trust me on that." Nick was leaning forward now, resting his elbows on his legs now as well.

Xander remained silent and just continued rubbing his temples.

Suddenly, an idea popped into his mind, but he wasn't sure he should ask.

Nick thought for a moment on how to phrase his question, "Xander, there's an extra room at my sister's place if you want to get out of here for awhile…" Nick's voice was unsure as he watched Xander's head slowly look up at him.

"What?" Xander's face was confused.

"Do you wanna stay with me and my sister for awhile, until things here blow over?" Nick was starting to regret he ever asked this when Xander's face was still pinched in a confused expression.

"I can't." Was all he said.

"Why not?" It was Nick's turn to be confused.

"Who is gonna take care of my mom?" Xander simply said, his eyes drained of any feeling.

"You can check up on her as much as you want. But Xander, you can't stay locked up in this room alone. Just listen to me on this one time." Nick insisted.

"I dunno…" Xander was thinking now, sitting up straight he considered the offer properly.

"What about your sister, I mean it's her place…I don't want to intrude--" Xander began to say but was cut off by Nick who waved a dismissing hand. "Don't worry about that," Nick added.

"I need go talk to my mom for a second." Xander got up and left quickly.

Nick followed him out the door and waited outside. He felt horrible, wishing he'd come here sooner, if only he had any idea what Xander was really going through. _He hid it so well_, Nick thought sadly.

A short while later, Xander came out with a hint of a smile, "You still sure you want me to stay with you guys?" Hope in his eyes that he hadn't heard wrong.

"Yeah man, when can you come over?" Nick said, looking surprised at the slight change in Xander's mood and then questioned whether it was genuine or not. He couldn't be sure.

"I need some packing all my things and stuff…" Xander began and was once again cut off by Nick's excited voice, "Hey, I'll call the others and see if they can help?" He was already on his cell-phone morpher.

----

It was getting late, but all the bags and a couple of boxes were loading into Vida's jeep and they were off to Nick's place.

A medium sized house in the middle of your usual suburban neighborhood was their stop of the night. Everyone got out and carried the bags and boxes into Nick's place.

Chip ran out and grabbed the last bag, and shut the front door behind him. After dropping the bag in front of the stairs, he headed to the living room where everyone else was.

"Hey, you guys feel like some pizza tonight?" Nick was in a good mood, standing in the front room wearing a tight dark red t-shirt that was on display after shrugging off his leather jacket.

Vida immediately ran to the phone and called for the pizza, mostly because she had a very specific order and didn't want Chip to get there first. The last time he ordered a pizza, they got smelly blue cheese instead of mozzarella. Chip claimed it was the more healthier and organic way to eat.

It was a hot night and Madison was glad she wore her shorts and tank top, as she stretched out on the double-seated sofa. "Hey, Xander…" She whispered in his direction, he looked around and leaned closer.

"I want you to fill me in on life with Nick, okay?" She said this with a naughty smile on her face. That brought a smile to Xander's face and couldn't help him from smirking in his usual way.

"Anything specific?" Xander whispered back, still grinning.

Madison started to laugh and that caught the attention of Nick. "Hey, what are you two whispering about?" Nick came over and crossed his arms across his chest with a suspicious look on his face.

Both Madison and Xander looked in different directions, with absolutely innocent faces.

"Hey, while we wait for the pizzas to arrive, wanna play a game?" Vida thought she'd lighten up the mood even more.

"Ooh, that's sounds good!" Chip's face lit up and he sank into the seat next to Nick with ease.

Madison sat up quickly when she caught the sneaky look in her sister's eye, "No way Vida!" She threw a cushion at Vida's head.

"Oh, c'mon, it'll be fun!" Vida yelled back, insisting her idea was great. She sat on the ground near the fire place where Xander was lounging near by. His face looked doubtful and that made Vida grin even more.

"Lets play Truth or Dare!" She squealed.

The room was silent, only Madison moved when her head dropped in defeat.

"Who wants to go first?" Vida's excitement was hard to ignore and Xander's hand shot up in the air. Nick glanced over at him with surprise, but was happy he was in a better mood now.

Next thing you know, Xander's voice was shrill as he answered, "DARE!"

Vida sat back for a second and thought about what she'd say. "Hmmm."

Her eyes lit up and her big smile was back, "Oooh! I'm gonna blow you away?" She leaned forward on her knees clapped her hands together really loud.

"You are gonna blow. me…um…away?" Xander's words sounded strangled as his eyes couldn't stop blinking.

"Xander, you're _blushing_!" Madison laughed. Nick and Chip joined in too. Vida's smile faded as she looked confused. "What do you mea--" and then she clapped a hand over her mouth. "I didn't mean it like that!" She threw a cushion at Xander's head, hitting him hard as he fell backwards and snapped out of it.

They were all laughing now.

-----

It was a few hours later, the pizzas were eaten and everyone was in the living room sprawled on the ground in a cozy circle.

It was strange, to feel this at ease when things were getting so bad with The Master. An unsettling feeling griped Madison as her face suddenly became more serious. I should be at Rootcore researching or doing something more productive than just laying around and having fun.

I felt a gently nudge on her right side, she looked over and concerned Nick staring her. Getting a little embarrassed by the intensity of his stare, Madison looked away and let her hair fall across her face, creating a barrier of sorts. Her face was flushed and she didn't have any control over it.

I decided to escape to the kitchen, picking the boxes of pizza up, as an excuse to be alone for a moment. My emotions were out of control. One minute I was upset and the next, she had butterflies in I stomach. _What is going on with me?_

"I'll help you." Nick got up and gathered the rest of the boxes and cups that were scattered everywhere.

I took a deep breath and headed for the kitchen. _Be cool, be cool… _I thought quickly. _Ew, why am I all jumpy and nervous?_ I asked myself.

"It's gonna be interesting having Xander living here," I said casually, trying to hide my discomfort. The kitchen was bright, and very big. I set the boxes on the table near the garbage and walked off to the other end of the kitchen to set on a chair. Nick was busy putting things away, and went to stand near the sink to wash his hands.

"Yeah, I hope I made the right decision." Nick's lips were pursed, his hands were and he couldn't find a towel dry off. I found one on the table in front of me and threw it at him. He caught it naturally, and grinned over at me. I ducked my head and tried not to smile.

"Hey, you forgot this last night when you came over _unannounced_…" His voice was teasing as he handed me my hair clip, it must have fallen out when I fell asleep on his couch yesterday. I don't know why, but I blushed.

I mumbled a embarrassed 'thank you' and stuck the clip in my jean pocket.

"I don't know why, but I get the feeling you're a little, um…" Nick leaned against the counter, arms crossed, as he chose his words carefully, "…edgy around me. Did I do something wrong?" His question sounded innocent enough, more concerned than anything else.

I sat up, feeling even more uncomfortable, mostly with myself, for letting him think that.

"No, it's no you Nick. I dunno what is bothering me… but I know it's not you," I laughed, awkwardly.

Nick took a deep breath, "Then how come I feel like you're not telling something?"

"What? What do you mean?"

Nick paused, studying the shinny white floor of the kitchen. Suddenly, his expression changed, his eyes became more hard.

"I'm going to look for Koragg tomorrow…" He looked up at me with serious eyes.

"Okay, I didn't see that coming. Why would you do that?"

"He warned us The Master was free and we haven't seen him since. If he helped us once, maybe…" Nick trailed off, his eyes growing very reflective.

I sat back, realizing he had a good point. Koragg had disappeared ever since The Master came back, maybe something happened to him.

"You think he might be in some kind of danger? Maybe even…dead?" I said this slowly, gauging Nick's reaction as I spoke quietly.

"Perhaps." He looked like he'd thought about that possibility and for a strange reason he seemed really pained by it. Koragg had been an enemy we fought for months prior to The Master's arrival.

"You know, I'm coming with you." I stood up, my face lighting up when Nick glared at me, already shaking his head in protest.

"No way," He began, but I was already standing in front of him, arms crossed just like his, with a a stubborn expression on my face. Seeing this, Nick backed down, perhaps realizing it would be a waste of time trying to convince me to not go with him. I wasn't backing down and he knew that.

I smiled in response and dropped my hands to my sides, "You have any idea where we should start looking?"

"At the beach," Nick grinned, he looked more relaxed now.

"Why the beach?"

He shrugged and before he got a chance to say anything else, Vida and Chip walked in, "OH! We're going to the _beach_ tomorrow? Awesome!" The two of them bounced into the kitchen.

Nick glanced at me nervously, shaking his head and giving up when he heard Chip talk about getting Xander tomorrow. The two of them were planning and plotting ways to prank Xander, Vida was being very creative. Nick couldn't help but smirk at her ideas. "Shhh, he might hear us."

I moved around Vida and Chip and snuck out of the kitchen, Nick was right behind me. I could still hear them planning. "This is gonna get out of hand," I giggled and Nick just nodded in agreement.

Xander was standing near the living room door, looking out the window, his face was expressionless.

Nick went over and nudged him. They talked for a brief moment and Xander cheered up, but I knew he was just putting on the act. I sat on the arm rest of the sofa near the door, and waited for Nick to leave the room. He did when he said he was going to see what Vida and Chip were doing in the kitchen, loud clanking noises started up and he looked worried something might happen. "You guys, don't _break_ anything!"

I waited some more, and then saw Xander throw me a nervous smile.

"You gonna be okay?" I asked, slowly approaching him.

"Of course." He simply said, smiling his usual way, and winked when I looked a little suspicious. I wasn't buying it.

"Tell me the truth," I could feel my eyes turn more worried and I could see the reaction in his own face. Slowly, his façade was fading and he took a deep breath.

"It'll get better." He finally said, honestly.

I really hope he was right.

---  
_Put me on pause  
I need a break  
Some time to really  
Take a breath  
---_

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